I WAS sorry to hear of Milton Hey’s unhappy memories of Oakes Infants School (Mailbag, January 25). Such an experience is bound to have coloured his memories of school life. From my many years of teaching I know that praise and encouragement are all-important when teaching a young child to read.

I thought the pupils looked so smart in their children’s fashions of that era and hoped that some people would derive pleasure from seeing them. For some, the photos published in the Examiner have evoked some unpleasant memories and I regret that.

I must say that during my teaching career at Oakes school I seemed to be surrounded by happy, lively children.

Since I left the staff of the school I have met several former pupils who had happy memories of their school days and they reminded me of Christmas parties, harvest festival days and firework displays on Bonfire Night. Obviously they had not had the unfortunate experience of Milton in one particular class.

Miss Livingstone was a capable, understanding headmistress and I am certain that if she had known of these incidents she would have dealt with the matter.

I must add that I did not take the photographs. They were taken by a professional photographer.

mrs e tylicki

Huddersfield

Start cutting crime!

GORDON BROWN and his muppets have failed to solve the issue of rising crime in this country. Can’t they use their little grey cells for once and put more police on the beat, cut out paperwork and employ clerks to do this. Make stiffer sentences on offenders who carry knives and threaten to use them and put offenders away for longer terms if they do. Politicians are paid a lot of money for doing nothing on major issues. Crime is one good example; it’s time they started to earn their cash and let’s see crime decreasing.

colin vause

Marsh